N. Korea: China will not protect those who sank South Korean warship(says Chinese PM Wen)

Telegraph ^ | 05/28/10 | Peter Foster

[TigerLikesRooster]

China will not protect those who sank South Korean warship

China will not protect whoever was to blame for sinking a South Korean warship, the Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has said.

Peter Foster in Beijing and agencies

Published: 11:32AM BST 28 May 2010

Mr Wen made the comments at a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, on Friday as he arrived in Seoul for the start of three days of talks.

The US and its allies hope will bring greater consensus over how to react to the torpedoing of the Cheonan in which 46 sailors died.

South Korea blames North Korea for sinking the warship on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives.

Mr Wen was quoting as telling Mr Lee that China would decide its position on the issue "fairly" after reviewing international investigations.

"The Chinese government will review the results of international probes closely and consider reactions from countries concerned seriously," Mr Wen was quoted as saying.

"It will then take its position on this issue in an objective and fair manner. According to the investigation results, China will not protect anyone." Mr Wen met Mr Lee at the presidential Blue House on Friday afternoon, a day before a three-way summit that will also include the Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[lancium]

Didn’t the norks test a underground nuke on our last memorial day?

[TSgt]

"It's difficult even for China to influence North Korea's behaviour. But China will also hope that South Korea steps back so that confrontation can cool down," he said. More likely, said Wei Zhijiang, a Chinese expert on Korea from Zhongshan University in southern China who is now a visiting scholar in Tokyo, is that China will agree to abstain from any vote in the UN censuring the regime of Kim Jong-il. "If South Korea and the United States really take this to the Security Council, then China won't want to have a falling out with them but won't want more sanctions over this, so an abstention vote seems likely," he added.

Parallels my perception that China is not in control here and Kim is a loose cannon.

[hennie pennie]

hmmmm...

[fenderfeeder]

The latest I heard is that the South Koreans will settle for just a United Nations statement condemning the attack instead of an actual Resolution. If that happens then the Chinese won’t have to defend North Korea from anything because nothing else is going to happen to them.

[Uncle Ike]

” South Korea blames North Korea for sinking the warship on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives. “

It would seem that nobody in the Media (or politics or diplomacy) is willing to make the simple declarative statement —

‘North Korea is responsible for sinking the warship on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives..’

Somehow, it always gets twisted to be, somehow, SK’s fault for ‘investigating’ or ‘blaming’.....

[GeronL]

In other words China is not backing NK in this threat of war

[fenderfeeder]

Just wow. South Korea hinting that they could back off operating the propaganda loudspeakers now...

A senior government official said the South will reconsider its plan to blast messages across the inter-Korean border via banks of loudspeakers if North Korea apologizes for the sinking or at least responds with something more reasonable than its typical bombastic statements
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704596504575272152006762206.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

So North Korea sinks a ship in a surprise attack that kills 47 sailors and now South Korean might "reconsider" its retaliation : switching on loudspeakers.

[AdmSmith]

This is a very strong position taken by China, and it means at minimum that China will not use its veto in the UN. They might even approve the text. The dear leader is probably worried.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Actually, they are also holding off the plan to launch balloons with leaflets into N. Korea. They suddenly put a brake on information war efforts. I smell Chinese pressure.
They want those things to be held back in return for China sending some warning message to N. Korea.

[TigerLikesRooster]

They want Chia Head to say, “I am so sorry. I will shoot the bastard who did this without my approval.” So some octogenarian general(Kim Il-chol who was sacked a few weeks ago?) could be shot for this, even though his real offense may be to have failed to keep his mouth shut and complained too much.

[Pining_4_TX]

I don’t see it this way. The first thing I thought of is that China has told the little wing nut to round up a group of men he wants to be rid of, put the blame on them, execute them, and everyone can get back to normal.... what passes for normal with a loon like Kim.

[fenderfeeder]

What kind of a message does it send to North Korea when the South holds back from even turning on loudspeakers or releasing leaflets after their sailors are murdered?

And what will this be in return for? China agreeing to allow a statement without any sanctions pass throug the UN that probably will only condemn “all aggresion on the Korean peninsula”?

It’s infuriating.

[TigerLikesRooster]

This one is proceeding like Operation Paul Bunyan. At the time, U.S. got apology and was allowed to cut the d*mn tree(in addition to SK paratroopers demolishing sandbagged machine gun positions nearby.)

[jhpigott]

“if North Korea apologizes for the sinking or at least responds with something more reasonable than its typical bombastic statements”

- I wouldn’t hold my breath for Kim to apologize

[jhpigott]

3 days of talks between Wen and Lee is a long time. Alot can happen. It sure sounds better than it did 24 hours ago, but things can change fast. I will say this - the outcome of the meetings between Wen and Lee will dictate how this crisis resolves itself.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Because South Korea has its "RINOs", too.

They could have elected a Third Party hardline communist in the presidential elections of 2007, but went with the RINO over the Liberal Democrat Socialist.

[AdmSmith]

Yes, that might be the outcome, but the pressure is targeting the dear leader now.

[AmericanInTokyo]

"hardline anti communist" (Correction to previous).